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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · saw · trunk · wound · root · present · stand · net

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — for catching
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — to bear
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — the tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — after costs
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com